Fall 2007
“Issues Affecting Reputation Management and Strategic Communications”
Defining Excellence
A
ccording to the Princeton online
dictionary, the term excellence is
defined as: “the quality of
excelling; possessing good qualities in high
degree.” Unfortunately, in today’s society
it is often extremely difficult to find
individuals who possess this quality. When a
rare person does display this characteristic, it
is important to acknowledge the good work
he or she is doing, the message he or she is
conveying, so that others will have role models to mimic.
Joseph Campbell, that wonderful mythologist and expert on world
religions, knew something about individuals who possess excellence. A
prolific American author and editor whose works on comparative
Timely Thoughts on Excellence – The Reputation Excellence Blog
Sir Thomas Moore, the “Man for All Seasons,” personified the
thinking person. During Moore’s time, it was important to be
a person of faith, and it was almost as necessary to be a person
of reason and principle. Moore gave up his life to defend what
was right, overlooking his loyalties and devotion to his king to
do the right thing. A hallmark of Moore’s age was that learned
people had knowledge of many subjects. Even with fewer
educational resources and limited access to both libraries and
other centers of learning, these special people managed to
acquire a breadth of knowledge in a shorter lifetime, in
addition to having plagues to contend with, sieges of kingdoms
and pestilence and starvation to manage. It stands to reason that
Moore’s life was indeed harder, yet these giants managed to be
original thinkers and improve civilization with their thoughts
and deeds. Moore’s compass was the truth of the law.
Today we have no excuse for lacking knowledge. The vast
storehouse of mankind’s collective thoughts (topics like arts,
science, technology, finance and even beauty) is right at our
fingertips – online, anytime, anywhere. Not only do we have
facts available on the Internet, we now have the opportunity to
offer our opinions, interpretation and critique of the facts.
Weblogs or blogs allow anyone to speak to all of mankind by
simply entering his or her own thoughts on a computer screen
and pressing “send.”
vol.7 no.
mythology examined the universal functions
of mythology in various human cultures and
examined the mythic figure in a wide range
of literatures, Campbell was considered to
be the greatest mythologist of his time.
Advocating a balance between sacrifice and
bliss, he has seen excellence in many forms.
Campbell recounted one story of a police
officer who arrived at the scene of a person
about to jump off of a cliff. Knowing he had to act, the officer grabbed
the person’s hand at the last instant, consequently putting himself at great
personal risk, but also saving the person’s life. When asked why he did
this, knowing that he, too, might be pulled over the edge, the officer said
{ E XC E L L E N C E - continued on PG 2 }
At the end of September, we launched a new CEO blog
entitled Reputation Excellence (RepEx). The blog offers timely
thoughts that complement and inspire our quarterly Mount
Vernon Report. In our entries, we focus on matters of interest
concerning issues of the day and the people who are shaping
and defining reputation.
In our inaugural days, we have blogged about diverse subjects
such as the moral dilemma of casino gambling, the ethical
lessons in a yard sale and the tragedy and triumph that are
synonymous with the Boston Red Sox. In the weeks ahead, we
plan to continue this eclectic mix of the important, minutia and
ephemera of reputation.
We’d like to hear from you, our readers, contributors and
friends and invite you to become a guest blogger at RepEx.
May we all gain knowledge and share it with others –
improving, advancing and protecting our civilization. Blog away.
Moore would have!
Peter Morrissey can be contacted at peter@morrisseyco.com
Reputation Excellence: www.morrisseyco.com/blog
{ E XC E L L E N C E - continued from PG 1 }
that he was compelled to do it; that not doing it wasn’t an option. He
simply couldn’t live with himself if he did not try to save the person.
The officer in Campbell’s story displayed true excellence. He had
honor, heroism and self-sacrifice when he chose to save the person’s life.
The officer was not thinking selfishly about what might happen to him.
While not every individual would react this way, this officer is a unique
individual – a true reflection of excellence.
Lewis Gordon Pugh also knows something about self-sacrifice. His
nickname, “Polar Bear,” is specifically linked to his call to excellence.
Pugh does things that most individuals could never conceive of, or
would ever want to do. He uses daring swimming feats, like swimming
long distances in the coldest waters of the planet, to attract attention to
environmental issues to bring about change. For Pugh, compared to his
other, more dangerous and arduous aquatic accomplishments,
swimming the English Channel was like swimming in the duck pond in
Boston’s Public Gardens. He is dauntless, looking danger in the eye and
shrugging it off. The “Polar Bear” has swum with man-eating
crocodiles, great white sharks and fearsome leopard seals. He regularly
swims with his namesake, one of the most ferocious and noble animals
on earth. Pugh, of course, gives the bear a wide berth in the frigid
waters of the polar region.
This past July, Pugh became the first human to complete a
long-distance swim at the geographic North Pole – in nothing more
than a Speedo, cap and goggles. By swimming in a region that was once
completely covered in ice, he showed the world that climate change is
happening, and we have the power to stop it. His historic feat, covered
in over 500 media outlets worldwide, established Pugh’s name and
“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to
their commitment to excellence, regardless of their
chosen field of endeavor.”
~ Vincent T. Lombardi
pg.
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reputation not only in history, but also a reputation synonymous with
boundary-breaking inspiration and environmental awareness.
As frightening as these self-induced dangers and risks may be, Pugh’s
greatest fear is that the human race could unwittingly jump off a
proverbial cliff when it comes to the environment. He wants to save us
all from ourselves, and uses these daring symbolic acts to attract
attention about the state of the environment; an act some might refer
to as “excellence.”
Like the canary in the coal mine, Pugh puts himself in harms way to
warn us that our planet is warming up to a perilous level and that the
changes to our eco-system may become irreversible. Pugh’s swims are an
example of his great personal sacrifice and devotion to a cause.
Pugh is not preachy; rather he allows his actions to speak for
themselves. Like the police officer in Campbell’s story, Pugh illustrates
how acts of excellence can bring about significant change.
Everyone can push boundaries, but in today’s environment, it’s not just
about making a bold statement. It’s about conveying a message – in the
right way, at the right time, to the right audience. Pugh’s mission is to
protect the environment and mankind at any cost, and his goal is to
inspire people to make a difference.
~ Peter Morrissey
 Excellence and the Value of Challenge:
Striving for 70 Percent
W
hen asked to picture “excellence,” many of us imagine
figures such as Einstein, Angelou, Monet, Bach, or even
Harvard, Oxford, and the School of American Ballet.
These great thinkers, artists, and institutions represent talent refined to
near perfection. But it wasn’t inherent flawlessness or a single perfect
achievement that earned their names such high regard; it was hard work,
dedication, and, above all, resilience.
Life is wrought with unexpected obstacles. It’s not about being perfect;
it’s about having the courage and wisdom to be “remarkably good” (the
very definition of excellence in American Heritage Dictionary). The
Buddhist teaching “70 percent is perfection” evokes an interesting dilemma.
To most Americans, 70 percent seems mediocre, at best. Is the lesson,
then, to expect less of ourselves? To settle for a C+? Not even close.
The lesson is to distinguish human excellence from categorical perfection
and embrace setback as inextricable from success.
Take Einstein, for example. It is well known that the mathematician
struggled with speech impediments, possible dyslexia and shyness at a
young age. His teachers designated him a “slow learner,” and, after grad-
uating from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich, the
22-year-old was unable to secure a teaching post in his chosen field of
physics. Einstein was a far cry from the “perfect student.”
Yet as Einstein matured and his body of work accrued, others began to
view his peculiar learning style and eccentric personality as evidence of
rare genius. One biography refers to his quirks as the likely result of the
“significantly rare and unusual structure of his brain,” and countless
others claim he functioned on a “different level.”
What caused the shift in perception? His achievements, certainly, but
also much more.
Einstein possessed outstanding natural brilliance – that much is obvious.
He also had the courage to prove it. What if the great thinker had conceded
to the belief that he was challenged and slow? Dismissed his ideas
as ridiculous? Determined his “disabilities” too difficult to overcome?
With perseverance, Einstein radically – and actively – altered his legacy,
establishing himself as one of the greatest minds of the 20th century.
The same is true of a great many cultural figures. The French Academy
originally dismissed Cezanne, Monet, Renoir and other impressionists as “a
bunch of lunatics,” and centuries earlier, the Catholic Church
condemned Galileo to house arrest for heliocentrism. But, with
continued commitment, these “outrageous” and “blasphemous” offenders
of art and God earned reputations among the most esteemed in history.
pg.
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Granted, these are extreme examples, but their stories have everyday
value for all. We all want to be innovative and different, think of the
next groundbreaking idea, be “the best” in our field, but we hinder
ourselves with misconstrued notions of humanity and fear of failure.
There are innumerable proverbs to remind us of our mortality – Practice
makes perfect; learn from your mistakes; nothing is perfect; if at first you don’t succeed,
try, try again – yet we continue to waste inordinate amounts of energy
concealing our flaws, hiding behind what we know to be “right.”
In a corporate environment we are even tougher on ourselves and each
other, often immediately dismissing unconventional ideas as “absurd”
and regarding failure as an utter embarrassment. But if we never
challenge ourselves or work with failure, can we change? Can we
improve? Can we achieve excellence? Not likely. Achieving excellence
requires mistakes and improvements along the way.
Benjamin Franklin once proclaimed: “Without continual growth and
progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no
meaning.” By necessity, room for improvement drives progress, and
progress leads to excellence. Perfection is unyielding and timeless;
excellence requires the fluid cyclicality of time, existence, and human
ingenuity.
The key is not to always succeed, but rather to appreciate excellence for
what it is: remarkably good. Great thinkers and doers are not perfect. They
take new approaches, challenge new ideas, learn by doing, and find value
in even the harshest criticisms and the most devastating defeats. It is a
rough road that leads to heights of greatness. Strive for 70 percent and
you will find yourself far beyond what you imagined 100 could be.
~ Emilee Pierce
“Without continual growth and
progress, such words as
improvement, achievement,
and success have no meaning.”
~ Benjamin Franklin
 The Reputation Advisor
Excellence Under Peril Recommended Reading
On December 5, 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton and 27 men Einstein’s Business: Engaging Soul, Imagination, and
boarded the Endurance with a burning goal: to become the first to Excellence in the Workplace edited by Dawson Church, Ph.D.
cross the Antarctic Continent. But after just 45 days, disaster (Ingram, Baker & Taylor)
struck: ice trapped the Endurance, leaving the crew stranded for
Einstein’s Business is a primer for twenty-first century leadership. Fifty of the
what seemed certain demise. In one of history’s most famous most innovative and brilliant authorities of our time show that business
human feats, Shackleton rallied his men under the common will to leaders can be activists, improving society and the environment without
survive, and on August 30, 1916, every man was saved. sacrificing income or growth.

Shackleton’s story – and the outcome of his expedition – speaks The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability
for itself. Today, Shackleton’s vision, actions, and philosophy of by Paul Hawken (HarperCollins Publishers)
leadership apply to our contemporary professional and personal
climate of competition and constant change. Below are some The Ecology of Commerce outlines the environmentally destructive aspects of
many current business practices, but offers the vision of businesses adopting new
insights intended to guide individuals and organizations to peak practices to promote environmental restoration.
performance and excellence.
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers
~ Margaret Brady (Anchor Books, Random House)

Words of Leadership and Wisdom Based on a six-part PBS television series hosted by Bill Moyers, this series is
especially compelling because of its engaging question-and-answer format,
Paraphrased from Sir Ernest Shackleton creating an easy, conversational approach to complicated and esoteric topics.
Among his many gifts, Joseph Campbell’s most impressive was the unique
Never lose sight of the ultimate goal and focus energy ability to take a contemporary situation, such as the murder and funeral of
on short-term objectives. Err on the side of action. President John F. Kennedy, and help us understand its impact in the context
• of ancient mythology.
Set personal example with visible,
memorable symbols and behaviors.
• Excellence: Inspiration for Achieving Your Personal Best
Instill optimism and self-confidence, by J. Pinochot (Cyan Communications)
but stay grounded in reality.
• This collection contains more than 400 insights from a diverse group of
Take care of yourself: maintain your stamina remarkably successful people on how to achieve excellence both at home and at
and let go of guilt. work. Respected individuals from the fields of business, politics, sports, and arts
•
Minimize status differences and insist on courtesy and entertainment – including J. K. Rowling, Rupert Murdoch, Tiger Woods,
and mutual respect. Bill Gates and Jon Stewart – provide inspiration and guidance on attaining
• distinction in their discussions of ambition, innovation, responsibility, and the
Find something to celebrate and something to hazards of mediocrity. Motivational text accompanies the quotes and prefaces of
laugh about. each thematic section, providing additional reflection on what “excellence” means
•
Never give up – there will always be another move. and how to successfully manage this ultimate personal goal.
~ Margaret Brady

Morrissey & Company

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Boston, MA 02108

Please visit us on the World Wide Web at: http://www.mountvernonreport.com RepEx Blog: www.morrisseyco.com/blog
The Mount Vernon Report™ is published and copyrighted 2007 by Morrissey & Company, an independent Reputation Management and Public Relations firm headquartered at 121 Mount Vernon Street, Boston, MA 02108. Permission to copy and
distribute is granted, provided that full attribution is given to Morrissey & Company. Further commentary or response to any of the topics discussed in this issue is welcome and should be directed to 617-523-4141 or via e-mail to peter@morrisseyco.com.
Printed on recycled paper. In an effort to conserve natural resources we have altered the format of the Mount Vernon Report to omit the use of an envelope.

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